This post is about two garments. I'm combining them because I wear them together and think they both look better as an outfit. This makes for a long post which I promised not to do when I started this. Hmm.. I'll have to work on that. I'll talk about the shirt first.
I still have a bad crush on thrift store men's shirts. Just when I say I'm never going to work with another one I get the urge.
They are made so well that they are a hairball to take apart! So, I've been thinking of ways that don't entail ripping out seams. This shirt doesn't fall into that category because I made it before I swore off that method. It was made with a traditional shirt that had a front placket typical of many men's shirts. I didn't want that look so instead of cutting off the whole placket I cut into it in parts to create little patches in several spots. Then I overstitched with perle cotton. I added old buttons that were from my grandmother...she collected buttons. More on that family saga in another post.
I sliced one layer of the collar off to create a raw edge, love those guys. I then cut the hem so that it is shorter in the front and back, longer on the sides. I added a wonderful subtle striped linen for a flounce in the front and a beautiful lightweight linen from a thrift find in the back. I cut off the cuffs and hemmed the sleeves. The collar has a bit of the stripped linen applied to tie it together.
Then I stenciled it with The Crafter's Workshop Brocade pattern. I used Jacquard fabric paints blending a metallic grey with white to make it more subtle. It's a fun look although a bit flouncy for me, hence the pairing with the more bold vest with black stripes.
OK, the vest. I seem to have the fabric painting bug and can't shake it. Never mind, it's fun and I'm branching out. Here I used a lightweight canvas, sort of duck or really heavy muslin from Beverly's. I masked it off with painter's tape and spray painted it with Liquitex Professional Spray Paint. I love this stuff. It has a bit of a hard hand but in this particular application it's fine. Then I spray painted the same stencil with red.
I've been wanting to try Katherine Tilton's idea of making a vest out of Marcy Tilton's jacket pattern V8430, leaving off the sleeves. She had a terrific article in the August/September 2009 issue of Threads Magazine about making vests with exposed seams.
I added some top stitching to the exposed seams and a few pieces of striped fabric. Then smacked a couple of pockets on...gotta have pockets. Oh and in the end I splattered it with watery white fabric paint to make the whole thing feel like it comes together. Don't ask me why I think it works but I do.
I LOVE the process of not planning a garment, just winging it and see what happens. It's such a contrast to the pattern-following thing. I love them both really. As you'll see in my next post where I made a Lynn Mizono shirt...by the book!
You can see that I'm not too neat with the spray paint. I like it that way.
Oh, and after I got the shirt done I found a stain on it! Hate when that happens and it's a chance you take with thrift store finds, they seem to show up even after washing. So, I did an Alabama Chanin thing that you can see just a bit on the left sleeve above.
